Matthew Mitchell

MATTHEW MITCHELL
Barristers and Solicitors
MATTHEW MITCHELL LL.B • AARON ALMEIDA LLB / BCOM
Victims of Crime Compensation
1. Your application for compensation must wait until the
police have concluded their investigations.
If the offender is not caught it will be necessary for there to be some
independent evidence of the commission of the crime.
If the offender is caught, your application for compensation must
await the conclusion of the police prosecution. This often involves a
delay of many months.
If you do not co-operate fully with the police, or refuse to go to court,
or request that the charge be withdrawn; you will not be entitled to
any compensation.
2. The amount of money you receive is based significantly
upon the report supplied by your general medical
practitioner.
If you are not regularly seeing your doctor, you should
immediately arrange an appointment with your general
medical practitioner to make sure he/she is fully acquainted
with both the physical and mental injuries suffered by you
in the assault.
You need not request this report from general medical practitioner;
we must wait for authority from the Crown Solicitor to ask for one. It is
then paid for by the Crown. If you request it, it will cost you a lot of
money and you will not be reimbursed.
3. Your compensation is funded by a government pool of monies. If the
offender is known, the government will try and get the money back
from them and the offender will be provided with a copy of your
application for compensation.
4. Even though you may have a claim, it is not possible to guarantee
any payments until the Crown Solicitor has approved your claim. If
the offender is defending the charge it is unlikely payments will be
made until after their conviction.
59a Prospect Road, Prospect 5082 Ph. 8344 5589 Fax. 8269 4066
www.matthewmitchell.com.au
MATTHEW MITCHELL
Barristers and Solicitors
MATTHEW MITCHELL LL.B • AARON ALMEIDA LLB / BCOM
5. All medical expenses should be claimed from the public health
system, Medicare, a private fund or health insurance – if possible.
The Victims of Crime fund will only pay the Gap.
If you are seeing a Psychologist, you should obtain a referral from
your General Medical Practitioner and claim most of the costs from
Medicare.
6. The Crown Solicitor will only pay the first $2,000.00 of any medical
expenses or dental expenses you incur. They will only pay ¾ of any
amount over $2,000.00, however, they will also pay you money for
pain and suffering and you can use this money to top up the
payments if you wish to undergo treatment privately.
7. It is useful to keep and accurate list of all expenses, including;
chemist items, travel expenses, Gap payments to doctors and any
other out of pocket expenses
8. With regards to Loss of Wages, it is necessary to get a letter from
your employer confirming how long you were off work and what
wages you lost. If you had sick leave, you will be paid about 1/3 rd of
the value of the sick leave used. If you are self employed, it may be
necessary to get a report from your accountant to confirm the amount
of your loss
9. If the Crime occurred when you were working, you must make a work
cover claim to reimburse loss of wages and any doctor or dental
expenses. The Victims of Crime fund will not pay for loss of wages or
medical expenses if you are entitled to Workcover payments.
Matthew Mitchell Solicitors accepts instructions on the basis of a No-Win,
No-Fee payment with respect to Victims of Crime. The Crown Solicitor will
pay your legal fees in full if we win the case. You will only have to pay
Matthew Mitchell Solicitors if;
(a) You consult him concerning other matters, unrelated to the Victims of
Crime claim.
(b) You decide to abandon your claim or instruct alternate solicitors after
Matthew Mitchell has received instructions and commenced work on
your behalf
Matthew Mitchell Solicitors also practices in Family Law, Criminal
Law, Driving offences, Probate and preparation of Will
59a Prospect Road, Prospect 5082 Ph. 8344 5589 Fax. 8269 4066
www.matthewmitchell.com.au